1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to computer system power supply and, more specifically, to a technique for supplying power to a load via voltage control and current control modes of operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional computing device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, cell phone, or tablet device, typically includes a processing unit and other processing hardware configured to support the execution of various applications. Conventional computing devices also typically include a voltage regulator configured to draw power from a battery and to then supply that power to the processing hardware at a particular voltage level.
The processing hardware may draw varying levels of current from the voltage regulator, at a particular voltage level, depending on the various tasks that the device is configured to perform. For example, if the device executes a video game application, then the processing hardware may require increased current to support additional rendering tasks. In response, the voltage regulator provides the additional current while regulating to the particular voltage level.
One problem with this approach is that voltage regulators must be sized to accommodate peak current levels (which may exceed 30% of nominal levels) that only occur very rarely. Such regulators consume area and increase cost, yet provide a benefit that is rarely realized. In mobile computing devices, a voltage regulator of appropriate size for these current levels is typically much too large to fit within the form factor of the device, so the mobile device is oftentimes simply prevented from performing any tasks that require the peak current levels. This approach essentially limits the processing hardware from operating at peak performance.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved technique for regulating power supplied to processing hardware in a computing device.